Nigerian lawyer and technology policy advocate, Temi Paul Olagunju, has been selected as one of 20 global fellows for the 2025 Public Voices Fellowship on Technology in the Public Interest.
The Fellowship is an initiative of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation In partnership with the OpEd project in the United States.
The year-long program brings together researchers, technologists and governance experts who focus on the social impact of technology.
Its goal is to provide them with the skills and platforms needed to contribute to public debates through opinion writing, media engagement and policy advocacy.
The 2025 group includes academics and practitioners from leading institutions in the United States and elsewhere, working on issues such as Artificial Intelligence (AI)Democracy, digital civil rights and data protection.
Olagunju brings a Nigerian perspective and a broader Global South perspective to ongoing conversations about the benefits and risks of emerging technologies.
His work focuses on the intersection of technology, governance, and youth development, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, blockchain, democracy, and digital rights.
One of the main focuses of Olagunju’s efforts is promoting AI literacy among youth.
He sought to achieve this through community programmes, workshops and political engagement aimed at helping Nigerian youth understand how AI systems work and how digital tools shape civic engagement.
Speaking about the fellowship, Olagunju emphasized that the communities most affected by global technology decisions often lack representation in these discussions.
He sees this fellowship as an opportunity to bring these lived experiences to global conversations about artificial intelligence, democracy, and social justice.
The fellowship will include four intensive virtual meetings over the next year and access to a network of former and current Public Voices Fellows.
Many of these fellows have advised governments, briefed legislators, published influential research, and shaped technology governance.
Fellows are selected through a competitive review process to ensure that their ideas can meaningfully impact public discussions about technology in the United States and globally.
This program aligns with the OpEd Project’s mission of diversifying public discourse by empowering experts whose perspectives are often underrepresented in mainstream media and policy-making spaces.
Olagunju has published political articles and commentary on digital rights, democracy, and technology in international media, including Fast Company, Harvard Kennedy School Policy Review, The Guardian, Punch, and The Irish Times.
His selection adds to the growing presence of Nigerian voices in global discussions on responsible technology governance, particularly as discussions on AI regulation and digital rights gain momentum around the world.
